Allegation of Research Misconducts
Research misconduct includes actions like fabrication, falsification, citation manipulation, or plagiarism during the creation, execution, review, or reporting of research. Authors involved in such misconduct are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of scientific records.
When misconduct is suspected, the editors and editorial board of Multigen: Multidisciplinary Indigenous Knowledge follow the best practices recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to handle complaints and misconduct fairly. This involves a detailed investigation by the editors. Manuscripts found to contain misconduct will be promptly rejected. If a published paper is implicated, it will be retracted and the retraction will be linked to the original article.
Addressing an allegation begins with determining its validity and assessing whether it fits the definition of research misconduct. This process also involves checking for any conflicts of interest from those making the allegations.
If scientific misconduct or other significant research irregularities are suspected, the corresponding author will be notified of the allegations and asked to provide a detailed response on behalf of all co-authors. After reviewing the response, further reviews and expert involvement, such as from statistical reviewers, may be necessary. If misconduct is deemed unlikely, the publication of clarifications or additional analyses, presented as letters to the editor and often accompanied by a correction notice, may suffice.
Institutions are expected to thoroughly investigate allegations of scientific misconduct. Authors, journals, and institutions share the responsibility to ensure the accuracy of scientific records. By addressing concerns about scientific misconduct and taking appropriate actions, such as corrections, retractions, or retractions with replacement, Multigen: Multidisciplinary Indigenous Knowledge upholds its commitment to maintaining the validity and integrity of the scientific record.
The handling of allegations of research misconduct aligns with the guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), accessible at https://publicationethics.org/misconduct.
Retraction
Papers published in Multigen: Multidisciplinary Indigenous Knowledge may be retracted under the following conditions:
- There is clear evidence that the findings are unreliable due to misconduct (e.g., data fabrication) or honest error (e.g., miscalculation or experimental error).
- The findings have been previously published elsewhere without proper cross-referencing, permission, or justification (i.e., redundant publication).
- The content constitutes plagiarism.
The retraction process follows the Retraction Guidelines outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), available at https://publicationethics.org/files/retraction%20guidelines.pdf.